Men's Hoops Home Sunday vs. High-Scoring Big Red

GAME DIGEST
What: Cornell (4-2) at Bucknell (2-6)
When: Sunday, Nov. 30, 2 p.m.
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Eagle 107 and BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
TICKETS
COMPLETE GAME NOTES

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell looks to get back in the win column when Cornell visits Sojka Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. These two teams have met frequently through the decades, but not since 2013. One of the "'Nells" is trying to end a streak, while the other hopes to keep one going on Sunday. Bucknell has dropped six in a row since a 2-0 start, while Cornell has won four straight after starting the year 0-2.

The Bison are coming off two tough losses to strong MAC teams at the Skechers Fort Myers Tip-Off. They fell 71-66 to 5-2 Bowling Green and 73-71 to 7-0 Buffalo. The latter came on a buzzer-beater after Bucknell had rallied from a 13-point deficit to take the lead in the second half. Bucknell played well for long stretches in both games, but a common theme in the two games in Florida were extended runs by the opponent late in the first half. Against Bowling Green, the Bison led 16-14 with 10 minutes to play in the half when the Falcons went on a 19-1 run. Bucknell closed within three late in the game but could not get all the way back. Against Buffalo, the Bison led 31-28 with six minutes left in the half when the Bulls closed the period on a 17-1 run. Bucknell did rally to go up by four in the second half but lost it at the buzzer. The trend also dates back a week earlier when the Bison fell to Power 5 teams Pittsburgh and St. John's. They got off to good starts in both games, but Pitt pulled away with a 17-2 run late in the first half, and the Red Storm closed the first half on a 17-8 spurt and then started the second half on a 22-2 surge.

This is a busy time for the Bison, who close out the first semester with four games in a 10-day span, with four more quality opponents -- not to mention final exams -- on the horizon. After Cornell, Bucknell will have road trips to Akron and Rider along with a home game against UMBC before breaking for 11 days for finals. A Dec. 20 trip to Des Moines to face Iowa will be the final non-league game of the season.

Freshman Amon Dörries continues to lead the Bison in scoring at 14.8 ppg. Dörries recorded his second 20-point game of the season with 22 against Bowling Green on Monday, and he is shooting 50.6% from the field and 77.8% from the foul line. Senior Ruot Bijiek (12.5 ppg) missed the last two games due to injury and is expected to be sidelined for Sunday's game against Cornell. The injury ended his streak of 104 straight appearances dating back to the start of his collegiate career. Grgur Brcic made his first two Bucknell starts in his place, and the Toledo transfer had his best game of the season against Buffalo with 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting, along with seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Junior Brandon McCreesh is coming off a career game against the Bulls. The Bison guard exploded for 20 points — six more than his previous high — thanks in part to 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range. Bucknell trailed by 13 points at halftime, but McCreesh canned three treys in less than two minutes to help the team get right back in the game.

Bucknell shot a solid 47.1% overall and 40.4% from 3-point range in the two games in Florida. The Bison were also +10 on the glass, but they were -6 in turnover margin and were outscored 32-22 at the foul line.

Bucknell will have to be on point defensively this week. Next up is a Cornell team that averages 93.2 points per game and leads the nation in made 3-pointers per game (14.5) and assists per game (21.7). The Big Red attempt 37.2 threes per contest, just a notch below Florida State for the national lead. Then it's off to Akron, which is even more prolific at 94.9 ppg, seventh-best in the nation.

Cornell dropped its first two games of the season on the road against Kent State (110-102) and Illinois State (76-65), and then the Big Red beat three straight Patriot League teams in Lafayette (97-78), Army (86-73), and Colgate (95-94 2OT). Most recently, they walloped Division III Misericordia 114-70 on Wednesday. In that game, Cornell went 24-for-56 from 3-point range and had a whopping 35 assists on 40 made field goals. Cooper Noard scored 34 points on opening night at Kent State and hasn't stopped scoring since. The senior guard leads the team at 22.5 points per game while shooting 54.5% from the field. Adam Hinton (14.7) and Jake Fiegen (14.0) also score in double figures, and Cornell has 12 players at 4.0 ppg or better.

Bucknell is 26-23 all-time against Cornell, including three straight wins, although the two teams have not met in nearly 13 years. The Bison and Big Red first clashed on March 5, 1898, a 30-7 Bucknell win at Tustin Gym. Interestingly, that game was arranged only one day in advance. The Cornell team, which was considered a club team that year, passed through Lewisburg on a Friday afternoon on their way to State College for a game that night. The two captains met, and Cornell agreed to play Bucknell on its way back the following day. Unfortunately for the Big Red, they came away from the trip 0-2.

This will be the first meeting between the two teams since Jan. 2, 2013, when the Bison won 72-56 in Ithaca. That ended a run of 26 straight seasons in which the two teams met, with Bucknell going 18-8 in that stretch. Bucknell Hall-of-Famer Bill Courtney '92 was the Cornell head coach when the two teams last got together. Cameron Ayers scored 16 points to lead the Bison, who improved to 13-2 at the time and would go on to win the Patriot League title. Bryson Johnson added 15 points, and Mike Muscala had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. It was a tight game until the Bison pulled away with a 15-4 run. Bucknell shot 78.9% (15-19) in the second half and 62.2% for the game. Josh Figini led Cornell with 15 points.

In the last meeting at Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell pulled out a 63-60 win on Dec. 31, 2011. Muscala had 18 points — all in the second half — and 13 rebounds, and Bryan Cohen added 13 points for the Bison. Johnathan Gray led Cornell with 18.

Head coaches John Griffin III (Bucknell '08) and Jon Jaques (Cornell '10), are both back at their alma maters. As a player, Griffin went 4-0 against Cornell and had one of the best games of his career as a senior, when he recorded 27 points and 5 assists in Bucknell's 88-75 win at Sojka Pavilion. He averaged 11.5 points and 3.5 assists in four career games against the Big Red. Jaques only appeared against Bucknell in a memorable 2009-10 game at Sojka Pavilion won by Cornell 104-98 in overtime. He tallied six points in three minutes of action, but he would later join the starting lineup and was a key player in Cornell's run to the Ivy League title and NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

Bucknell will play its third Mid-America Conference opponent of the season on Wednesday when it travels to Akron on Wednesday night. The Zips are the defending MAC champion, and they were picked to repeat this season. Akron is off to a 5-2 start, including a 104-69 rout of Princeton, and will host Milwaukee on Saturday night before the Bison come to town.

Men's Hoops Home Sunday vs. High-Scoring Big Red

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Players Mentioned

Ruot Bijiek

Grgur Brcic

Brandon McCreesh